A rare green comet is set to be visible in the Irish skies in a once-in-a-lifetime event.
Skygazers can catch a glimpse of the comet, known as Comet C/2022 E3 or ZTF, this week and the next. It will be the brightest on February 1 and 2.
ZTF has not been visible from Earth since the Stone Age as it only orbits the sun every 50,000 years. The comet comes from the Oort cloud at the edge of the solar system.
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Comets are icy bodies made up of frozen gases, rocks and dust left over from the formation of the solar system about 4.6 billion years ago. Their orbital period can take hundreds of thousands of years to complete.
At its closest point, ZTF will be 43 million kilometres from the Earth. Eager skygazers have been advised to move away from the bright lights and use binoculars or a telescope to view the green space object.
The comet was discovered last March and was named after the Zwicky Transient Facility in San Diego, California. The best time to view the comet will be from 7pm next week until dawn.
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